| Nagano 長野 |
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| — Core city — | |||
| 長野市 · Nagano City | |||
| Downtown Nagano | |||
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| Location of Nagano in Nagano Prefecture | |||
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Nagano
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| Coordinates: | |||
| Country | Japan | ||
| Region | Chūbu | ||
| Prefecture | Nagano Prefecture | ||
| Government | |||
| • Mayor | Shōichi Washizawa | ||
| Area | |||
| • Total | 834.85 km2 (322.3 sq mi) | ||
| Population (April 1, 2011[1]) | |||
| • Total | 387,146 | ||
| • Density | 463.7/km2 (1,201.1/sq mi) | ||
| Time zone | Japan Standard Time (UTC+9) | ||
| Phone number | 26-226-4911 | ||
| Address | 1613 Midori-chō, Nagano-shi, Nagano-ken 380-8512 |
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| Website | City of Nagano | ||
Nagano (長野市 Nagano-shi), the capital city of Nagano Prefecture, is located in the northern part of the prefecture near the confluence of the Chikuma and the Sai rivers, on the main Japanese island of Honshū.
As of April 1, 2011 the city has a population of 387,146. The total land area is 834.85 km².
Within hours after a major earthquake and resulting tsunami hit northeastern Japan near Sendai (see 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami), a 6.6 magnitude earthquake hit Nagano Prefecture on Saturday, March 12, 2011 at 3:59am local time. There were no reports of damage or casualties.[2]
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Nagano is most famous for Zenkō-ji, a 7th century Buddhist temple which overlooks the city. A million tourists visit Nagano annually, the gateway to a variety of sightseeing spots. Nagano was originally a small town in Kamiminochi District built around the hilltop temple, the largest wooden building in eastern Japan, but the city now encompasses locations that were within Sarashina, Hanishina, and Kamitakai districts as well.
The prefecture of Nagano is in a hilly area.
Like most of Honshū, Nagano has a humid subtropical climate, although its location in a sheltered inland valley means it receives less precipitation than any part of Japan outside Hokkaidō. The city still receives heavy winter snow totaling 2.57 metres (101 in) over four months from December to March, but it is less gloomy during these cold months than the coast from Hagi to Wakkanai.
| Climate data for Nagano, Japan (1981–2010) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 18.1 (64.6) |
22.5 (72.5) |
24.4 (75.9) |
30.8 (87.4) |
32.6 (90.7) |
35.6 (96.1) |
37.9 (100.2) |
38.7 (101.7) |
36.3 (97.3) |
32.2 (90.0) |
26.2 (79.2) |
21.3 (70.3) |
38.7 (101.7) |
| Average high °C (°F) | 3.5 (38.3) |
4.7 (40.5) |
9.5 (49.1) |
17.3 (63.1) |
22.5 (72.5) |
25.7 (78.3) |
29.1 (84.4) |
31.0 (87.8) |
25.6 (78.1) |
19.2 (66.6) |
13.0 (55.4) |
6.8 (44.2) |
17.3 (63.1) |
| Average low °C (°F) | −4.1 (24.6) |
−3.8 (25.2) |
−0.8 (30.6) |
4.9 (40.8) |
10.5 (50.9) |
15.8 (60.4) |
20.0 (68.0) |
21.3 (70.3) |
16.9 (62.4) |
9.7 (49.5) |
3.1 (37.6) |
−1.6 (29.1) |
7.66 (45.79) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −17 (1) |
−16.4 (2.5) |
−14.6 (5.7) |
−6.5 (20.3) |
−1.8 (28.8) |
3.9 (39.0) |
10.2 (50.4) |
10.7 (51.3) |
5.5 (41.9) |
−1.9 (28.6) |
−11.4 (11.5) |
−15.2 (4.6) |
−17 (1) |
| Precipitation mm (inches) | 51.1 (2.012) |
49.8 (1.961) |
59.4 (2.339) |
53.9 (2.122) |
75.1 (2.957) |
109.2 (4.299) |
134.4 (5.291) |
97.8 (3.85) |
129.4 (5.094) |
82.8 (3.26) |
44.3 (1.744) |
45.5 (1.791) |
932.7 (36.72) |
| Snowfall cm (inches) | 98 (38.6) |
82 (32.3) |
27 (10.6) |
3 (1.2) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
2 (0.8) |
45 (17.7) |
257 (101.2) |
| % humidity | 78 | 74 | 68 | 61 | 64 | 70 | 74 | 72 | 74 | 75 | 76 | 77 | 71.9 |
| Avg. precipitation days (≥ 0.5 mm) | 13.0 | 11.5 | 12.0 | 9.2 | 10.0 | 11.4 | 13.1 | 9.8 | 11.7 | 9.1 | 8.6 | 10.4 | 129.8 |
| Avg. snowy days | 22.9 | 19.6 | 8.2 | 0.6 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.9 | 10.8 | 63 |
| Sunshine hours | 127.2 | 131.3 | 168.5 | 198.3 | 207.3 | 162.2 | 168.8 | 204.3 | 141.7 | 152.4 | 139.1 | 135.6 | 1,936.7 |
| Source no. 1: Japan Meteorological Agency[4] | |||||||||||||
| Source no. 2: Japan Meteorological Agency (records)[5] | |||||||||||||
Nagano hosted the 1998 Winter Olympics and Paralympics, the second Winter Olympics to be held in Japan after the 1972 Winter Olympics were held in Sapporo, Hokkaidō (the first Winter Games ever held in Asia). As of 2010, Nagano is the southernmost host of the Winter Olympic Games. The Nagano Olympic Commemorative Marathon has been held every year since in remembrance of the event.
Nagano also hosted the 2005 Special Olympics World Winter Games, marking the first time the Special Olympics World Games had been held in Asia.
The historic site of the Battles of Kawanakajima has been retained as parkland, with a municipal museum of the history of the Zenkoji plain.
Matsushiro, the former castle town of the Sanada clan, is located in the southern part of the city. The town retains an historical atmosphere, preserving many old samurai residences, temples, and gardens of the feudal period, including the remains of the castle and mansion of feudal lord Sanada Jumangoku.
Sporting venues built for the Winter Olympics include the M-Wave speed-skating arena (with the world's largest wooden suspension roof), Big Hat arena, and the Aqua Wing Arena.
To north of the city is the village of Iizuna. A popular destination in both summer and winter, it includes an Olympic ski resort, campsite, onsen, 10 ponds, and a mountain slide ride.
Northeast of the city is Japan's largest ski resort, Shiga Kogen, with the nearby Jigokudani Monkey Park, famous for the wild (Japanese Macaque Japanese Snow Monkeys) often found bathing in its hot springs.
Just south of the downtown core, in Shinano, Mt. Chausu hosts the Nagano Chausuyama Zoo, an outdoor dinosaur park, botanical garden, and a museum of natural history.
The city's main railway hub, Nagano Station, and the smaller Shinonoi Station, were expanded for the 1998 Winter Olympics. The Hokuriku Shinkansen opened in 1997, connecting Nagano to Takasaki, Gunma. Nagano Station also serves the Shinano Railway Line, Shin'etsu Main Line, and Iiyama Line. The JR Chūō Main Line connects Nagano to the major city of Nagoya in Aichi Prefecture.
The Nagano Electric Railway also runs the Nagano Line to major sites around Nagano City and its suburbs.
The city is connected by rail south to Matsumoto via the Shinonoi Line, which terminates at Shinonoi Station.
Buses for Kawanaka-jima Bus and the Nagano Dentetsu Bus Co. service the city, and depart both Nagano Station and the Nagano Bus Terminal just west of the station.
The city's nearest domestic airport is Matsumoto Airport, connected via a 70-minute express bus from Nagano City.
Nagano Nihon University High School has one of the most well-known sports programs in Nagano prefecture. Its track and field club has taken part in a national interscholastic meet. The long distance running team took part in the national high school Ekiden championships in 2003 for the first time. Since then, the team has taken part in the national Ekiden twice, in 2004 and 2005. In 2009 the team was able to take part in the national Ekiden once again, owning top spots in various events.
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